Rebecca Budig (/ˈbʌdɪɡ/; born June 26, 1973)^[1] is an Americanactress andtelevision presenter. Her career began in 1993, and in 1995, she was cast in the role ofMichelle Bauer on theCBSsoap operaGuiding Light. In 1999, she was cast asGreenlee Smythe on theABC soap operaAll My Children; she held the role off-and-on until the network series finale in 2011. In 2015, she was cast in the role ofHayden Barnes onGeneral Hospital. In 2019, Budig was cast onL.A.'s Finest, as Carlene Hart, a drug-trafficking soccer mom. In August 2024, Budig began playing the contract role ofDr. Taylor Hayes on the CBS soapThe Bold and the Beautiful.

Born inCincinnati, Ohio and raised inFort Mitchell, Kentucky, Budig was the youngest of three siblings and five half-siblings, as each of her parents had children by a previous marriage.^[2] At approximately 9 years of age, she returned to Cincinnati to attend theSchool for Creative and Performing Arts, which she did from grade 4 through 12, graduating in 1991.^[3][4][5] Budig then attended theUniversity of Miami until, at her manager's suggestion, she dropped out during her sophomore year and headed west, so as not to miss out on thatpilot season's auditions.^[4]

Budig's first acting job was inAerosmith's music video "Livin' on the Edge".^[6] She later had a cameo role as a teenage girl saved byChris O'Donnell's characterDick Grayson inBatman Forever.^[6]

In 1995, Budig was about to audition for the role of Kelsey Jefferson onAll My Children when she received an offer fromGuiding Light, where she began her three-year stint asMichelle Bauer from (1995 to 1998).^[3][7]

Budig played the role of Patty inCaptain Nuke and the Bomber Boys in 1995. She then portrayed Babsy in the 1996 filmGod's Lonely Man, followed byJames Dean: A Race with Destiny where she played actressNatalie Wood andBonehead Detectives in the Paleo World where she played Allie. Both films were released in 1997.

Budig's most famous role has been that of the spoiled, rich girl-turned-makeup company executiveGreenlee Smythe onAll My Children—a role which she originated on August 11, 1999. Greenlee was supposed to be arecurring role, but executives enjoyed Budig and offered her a three-year contract.^[8] While onAll My Children, Budig garnered accolades from fans and press for her performance on the soap opera, as well as her character'spairing withJosh Duhamel'sLeo du Pres.^[9] She was nominated for aDaytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2001 and again in 2003. Her onscreen pairing with Duhamel earned them a Daytime Emmy Award nomination as well, for America's Favorite Couple in 2002. She was often called "Little Budig" by Duhamel, who had given her the nickname.^[6] In 2003, Budig won a Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Younger Lead Actress. In November 2005, Budig left the show to relocate to California.^[10]

Other notable roles include co-hostingThe Sports Illustrated for Kids Show. Budig worked for theWorld Wrestling Federation as an interviewer for a short time onSunday Night HEAT in 2000. She has made appearances onOut of Practice, as well as onHope & Faith. She did a movie calledThe Perfect Child (2007) featured onLifetime with the leading role as Sarah Daniels. In addition, Budig has been seen onCSI playing a role as a murdered lap dancer (Season 8, Episodes 9 & 10).

It was announced in late 2007 that Budig would be returning toAll My Children as Greenlee Smythe, the role she originated. She had been replaced by another actress Sabine Singh earlier that year. She returned to the show in January 2008.^[11] However, she signed a limited contract with the show. Later, while rumors circulated of Budig's departure, she confirmed in October 2008 that she would be leaving the series again in February 2009. Budig cited the reason for her departure as wanting to return to the West Coast to be with her husband.^[10] Budig returned to 'All My Children in late December 2009 (when the show relocated production to Los Angeles), and remained with the series until its series finale in September 2011.

In 2010, Budig won the first and only season of the ABC showSkating with the Stars. The show paired celebrities with professional ice skaters, who competed each week. Since September 2013, she began co-hosting the syndicated lifestyle television showBetter, alongsideJD Roberto. In 2012, she appeared withJaneane Garofalo in the comedic movieBad Parents. In February 2015, it was announced that Budig had been cast onGeneral Hospital in an unknown "killer" role. She debuted the role of Hayden Barnes on March 20, 2015.^[12][13] On June 27, 2017, it was announced that Budig had been let go fromGeneral Hospital, with her dismissal cited as a "storyline necessity".^[14][15] On May 9, 2019, it was announced that she would reprise the role ofHayden Barnes onGeneral Hospital.^[16] On June 27, 2019, it was announced that Budig would return in July;^[17] returning during the final moments of the July 8, 2019, episode. However, on November 20, 2019, Budig's exit was confirmed once more; she made her last appearance on November 27, 2019.^[18]

On August 6, 2024, Budig began airing on her fourth soap opera,The Bold and the Beautiful, stepping into the long-running role ofTaylor Hayes.^[19][20]

Budig is the youngest of eight children. She has five sisters and two brothers. In 2000, Budig married Dr. Daniel Geller; the marriage only lasted several months.^[21]

She met formerBachelor starBob Guiney while hostingThe Bachelor repeat shows onABC Family. The two were married on July 3, 2004. On January 13, 2010,People Magazine reported that Budig and Guiney had decided to split,^[22] with Budig filing for divorce in April 2010.^[23]

Budig became engaged to television marketing executive Michael Benson on Christmas Day in 2010.^[24][25] The pair married in 2012.^[26] On May 1, 2014, Budig announced that she was five months pregnant with the couple's first baby.^[27] On September 8, 2014, Budig gave birth to a daughter.^[28][29]

• Leo du Pres and Greenlee Smythe

• Rebecca Budig atIMDb
• Rebecca Budig Talks About Daytime Return
• Soap Opera Central profile of Rebecca Budig

• 1976 births
• Actresses from Kentucky
• American film actresses
• American soap opera actresses
• American television actresses
• Living people
• Miami University alumni
• Participants in American reality television series
• People from Kenton County, Kentucky
• Female professional wrestling announcers
• Reality show winners
• 20th-century American actresses
• 21st-century American actresses
• Actresses from Cincinnati

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